El ámbito educativo de jóvenes que egresan de recursos residenciales de protección en el estado español

Abstract

Education is a key component for "successful" entry into the labor market. This is especially true for young people who spend their childhood and adolescent years in care before leaving the system at the age of 18. The purpose of this article is to closely examine this group's educational situation within Spain's various Autonomous Communities. It will also determine if there are differences linked to such variables as sex, age, nationality, time spent in care, and the residential and academic settings of members of this group. With these aims in mind, we asked each participant to complete one of two questionnaires: EVAP4-J1 or EVAP4-J2 (TABA). The first is for young people who have left care and are in transitional housing (N=100); the second is for those not living in transitional housing (N=284). We then performed descriptive analyses and comparison of means. Results reveal statistically significant differences in education with regard to sex; men account for a larger percentage of the young people who study after leaving care, whereas women pursue their education for longer periods of time. Additional and statistically significant differences were detected for nationality, age, and time spent in care; younger participants, those not born in Spain, and those living in transitional housing were more likely to continue studying. Our results highlight both the educational difficulties faced by this group and the challenges faced by government agencies.